Text Box: Intranet Education Series

 

 


Don’t Build It Yourself

6 Reasons Not to Build Your Intranet from Scratch

 

You may think it’s a good idea to tackle your intranet project in-house.  You may even be excited by the challenge.  But why take this approach when there are so many reasons to avoid it?  Read on to discover just some of the costs and pitfalls involved in building an intranet from scratch and learn how XMLstar offers a top quality solution without the pain!

 

1.

MONEY Unpredictable and uncontrolled costs

 

 

Build-It-Yourself Fact:

Initial costs to obtain necessary hardware and software as well as intranet application development can range from $15,000 to $75,000.  Maintenance and upgrade costs are unpredictable and ongoing.

 

 

The XMLstar Intranets Advantage:

  • One all-inclusive low monthly fee.  
  • No hardware or software to buy. 
  • Frequent automatic upgrades. 
  • Expert maintenance included.

 

 

 

2.

TIME You can’t build it overnight

 

 

Build-It-Yourself Fact:

Average build time from start to finish is about 6-9 months.  And that’s if it ever gets finished at all.  By some estimates, more than half of all IT projects never even reach completion.  And let’s not forget the well-worn motto of every IT Director, “it always takes twice as long as you think it will.”

 

 

 

The XMLstar Intranets Advantage:

  • Be up and running in 30 minutes.

 

 

3.
MANPOWER Nothing but (intra) NET

 

 

Build-It-Yourself Fact:

Requires the TOTAL long-term commitment of many experts from IT to marketing to technical support.  Redirects manpower away from your core business.

 

 

The XMLstar Intranets Advantage:

  • Designed, built, and maintained by intranet experts.
  • Frees up internal resources.
  • Build your business, NOT your intranet.

 

 

4.
MAINTENANCE More time, money, & manpower

 

Build-It-Yourself Fact:

Long-term operational success demands complex maintenance tasks like application code and data backup, software evaluations and upgrades, bug fixes, security checks, testing, etc.  This critical responsibility is YOURS for the entire life of your intranet, 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.

 

The XMLstar Intranets Advantage:

  • Ongoing expert maintenance included.
  • Frequent automatic upgrades.
  • Removes the burden from the customer.

 

5.
SUPPORT If you don’t support it, they won’t stay

 

Build-It-Yourself Fact:

Long-term support for users requires development of educational tools and staff allocation.  Online documentation, phone support, and dedicated e-mail help systems are critical to avoid user apathy.  All this takes time, patience, expertise, and money.

 

The XMLstar Intranets Advantage:

§      Extensive online help.
§      Dedicated customer service.
§      Industry-leading response time.

 

6.

INTEGRATION Disjointed apps = needless frustration

 

Build-It-Yourself Fact:

Applications are often created in a vacuum and do not complement one another or work together smoothly.  Absence of seamless integration stifles efficiency and productivity.

 

The XMLstar Intranets Advantage:

  • Integrated application suite.
  • Maximum user efficiency.